Seemingly down-and-out against high-class English visitor Harry Willson when he trailed 9-1 in the second game having already lost the first in the Guernsey Easter Open men’s singles final at the Rohais Halls, Tapp turned things around with a display of grit and no-little skill to successfully defend his title 12-21, 24-22, 21-16.
‘Harry’s a very good player, he’s been on the circuit for a while, so I went into it knowing if I could just make it a long game in front of the home crowd, stick to my strengths... obviously, I got off to a pretty slow start, losing the first game 21-12, but after that I just settled into a bit of the rhythm, played my game, let him make the mistakes,’ said Tapp, who added that leading at the changeover of the decider was pivotal.
‘When you’re a little bit ahead, the pressure’s always on him. He’s always got to make a couple of points up. So I was just thinking once you get that lead, just go point for point, force him to make the mistakes, be nice and consistent.
‘We got there in the end, so yeah, I’m over the moon.’
Having retaining the Easter crown on home soil in front of a thoroughly-entertained crowd, Tapp can now focus on representing Guernsey at the Orkney 2025 Island Games with renewed confidence.
‘I’m a bit disappointed with how I played in Guernsey two years ago, missing out on medals by one match, so the aim is to come away with some individual medals, so full focus on that,’ he said.
Read a full report from the Guernsey Easter Open report in Monday’s Press.
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